In this article we will talk about effective meetings. As usual, below is the video version, followed by the text version.
Content
In our work, we very often encounter a banal problem - meetings for the sake of meetings, without specifics and solutions. The second common problem is that the issues discussed at different meetings overlap, and the same issue can be discussed several times in a week. Not only is this not productive, but it also irritates people.
However, in general, meetings are necessary. They create a working rhythm. But you need to understand that meetings cost the working time of your employees, which means you pay for all of this with payroll. And any expenses must bring results.
Let's look at a simple practical example - an ordinary meeting to plan production and shipments. It involves 3 people daily and lasts about 1.5 hours. The average payroll (salary + personal income tax + social taxes) per employee is about 100,000 rubles per month, the average number of working hours per month is 164.3.
Simple arithmetic suggests that 1 hour of an employee’s working time costs a business 608.7 rubles.
Total: 608.7*1.5*3 = 2,739 rubles 1 meeting
There are an average of 247 working days per year, resulting in 676,506 rubles per year.
Quite a lot, isn't it? But what have we done? We digitized all regular information and built transmission channels: there was a common table for sales, production and planners. Where all the information was structured and the table was divided into areas of responsibility for production and planners. It was updated daily. Thanks to this, everyone had access to the most up-to-date information and it was possible to predict order fulfillment with an accuracy of 1-2 days. Plus, at the end of each day, the production manager wrote to the sales and planning departments about the numbers of completed orders and the numbers of orders and positions in the order where there was a defect either in raw materials or in output. As a result, we calmly removed the sales department from the meeting. There were 2 people left who needed to discuss the details and operational plan for the next day.
After all these manipulations, meetings began to take 20-25 minutes for 2 people. Now all this costs a business: 608.7*0.4*2*247= 120,279 rubles! That is, the direct effect is more than 556 thousand rubles per year. And this is without introducing expensive solutions. And most importantly, people began to engage in targeted work. Now imagine what the effect will be when working with even more “dear” people.
But the most valuable thing is that people began to engage in targeted work, and it became easier and more comfortable to work. And this is a powerful factor for reducing staff turnover and increasing productivity.
As a result, based on our experience and the experience of our partners, we can recommend the following universal algorithm.
1. Preparation
Before each meeting there should be a clear agenda and the answer “why is this?” for each participant. And it is advisable to take an inventory of your meetings to eliminate overlap of topics when the same thing is discussed at different meetings.
In addition, evaluate whether it is necessary at all, or whether it is possible to prepare an automatic report or the same Kanban board , where everything will be clear, and you can take more breaks between meetings. Of course, as a manager, you don’t want to look at the board and tasks, you want to listen to people, but then just remember that for this you are paying for your employees’ time, and therefore your profit.
The meeting should be held at a predetermined time, according to a predetermined structure
Each participant must clearly know what he must tell, what numbers to show, that is, each speaker must have a checklist for preparation. And even though the agenda will always be the same, a person may forget about something during preparation and operational routine.
If the meeting is a “one-time” meeting, then it is necessary to send out an agenda a few days in advance and collect feedback from people, what issues are they interested in, what is important to them?
2. Conducting a meeting
Stick to a predetermined agenda
Everyone should have the right to vote, one by one. That is, a person must clearly know that he will have the opportunity to express his opinion, and that he does not have to rush in and say something.
Use a moderator to guide the discussion
We recommend the following discussion structure:
results of the previous stage/week/month, in general, of any reporting period. Reasons for failure to meet targets
plan for the stage/week, including what the key risks are, what is missing, what you will do preventively, and what if a negative event already occurs.
answers to questions, additional news or force majeure tasks.
completion
3. After the meeting
There should always be a short summary of the meeting. It can be just a small reminder, or a full-fledged protocol. It must contain:
what you decided on each issue, what actions you are taking;
who is responsible;
in what time frame?
This is consolidation, so that later there will be no “but I misunderstood”, but “I didn’t know or didn’t hear.” The resume is sent to ALL interested and responsible persons.
If this is a project meeting, then it is better for the manager to keep a meeting diary, which will describe what happened, what risks were realized, what new ones appeared, what were removed, what was done during the period, and what is planned for the next one.
Once a week - an operational meeting on a specific day and time to manage current tasks
Once a month - a meeting to discuss and resolve fundamental or “political” issues, escalation and resolution of problems that cannot be resolved promptly
Twice a year - a closed “strategic” meeting to discuss a longer term perspective, interim results, and make decisions on attracting additional resources to achieve strategic objectives
Once a year - a closed meeting where results are summed up, strategic tasks are planned, problems of communication and coordination, interaction between teams and participants
Were the meeting participants familiar with the meeting agenda?
Was the composition of the meeting participants selected correctly:
whether everyone was responsible and interested in the subject of discussion
were there people who were not needed
Was there a “hidden agenda” at the meeting that was not announced before preparation?
During the meeting, did spontaneous and poorly managed discussions of problems arise, without final results or solutions? How accurately were the meeting regulations followed?
Was the discussion constructive or was it chaotic, pointless, and incorrect? Did meeting participants experience conflicts between individual and group goals? Did any contradictions or conflicts arise between the meeting participants, and if so, what was the reason?
Was time spent searching for causes and culprits or searching for constructive solutions?
Were minutes of the meeting drawn up with the appointment of those responsible for resolving the issues on the agenda?
We also share with you a video from the channel of German Gavrilov - the founder of a startup that has grown into a full-fledged business.